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321stBG,446thBS, S/Sgt Edward Thornton, KIA 15 May'44

May, 1944
—Corsica, France

S/Sgt Edward P Thornton;

15 May 44: 446th BS War Diary: The squadron loses Lt. George Walsh, Lt. Harry B. Wilcox, Lt. Roy W. Lee, Technical Sergeant James Raymond Orechia, Staff Sgt. E.P. Thornton and Staff Sgt. Lawrence Shellhamer in a crash landing at our field. A crash landing was made and the plane burned upon striking the ground with all members of the crew killed. Another of our ships had to be landed in the water and the crew was rescued by Air Sea Rescue patrols. A third ship was forced down at Pianosa Island held by the enemy and the following men are presumed to be Prisoners of War: Lts. Othick, Mayfield, Griffin and EM Youngblood, Cobb and Miller. Sergeant Napoliello, on the sea crash plane, had to make his second parachute jump and both leaps were on the same day of the same month. He made a jump on May 15th of 1943 in Mississippi.

Edward was buried in the Bastia Cemetery on Corsica and moved to the Nettuno American Cemetery in Italy in April of 1945. (Info from the 57th BW "Men of the 57th, 1990 Issue and researched by Corsican Historian Dominique Taddei). Barbara Ennis Connolly... 321st Bomb Group Historian, PRINCESSBARBI_B25@msn.com